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Monday, November 28, 2011

yep, it's another post from me today.... but this will be sooooooooooo worth your while! :)

I had told you last week that I was accepted onto the fabby new DT over at Dilly Beans. and if you were reading between the lines and listened to all of my hints and didn't get knocked over by my nudges, you knew something was coming soon! ;) well TODAY IS THE DAY!

Megan has a fabby FREE snow family digi image she is giving away for a limited time to anyone who wants to play along in a great challenge to kick things off! man oh man, you oughta see the prizes! but don't listen to me, race over to the challenge blog! :) you have until Dec. 19 to get your project made and linked.

here is a card that I made using the cutey image. I tried several 'new-to-me' techniques that I discovered over in the Classroom at Ellen Huston's. it's always fun to try new things and I must say that I don't do it enough....

papers are Fancy Pants Tradition and Recollections (music). FaLaLa is a Sizzix die, as are the largest 2 snowflakes. the other 2 snowflakes are MS punches. all were lightly sponged with crumb cake ink and then sprayed with frost shimmer spray. the music paper was also inked and sprayed in the same manner. I added little baby stitches around the words to make them pop a bit & baby buttons to mark the center of the "A". stickles and shimmerz paint were used on several of the hats for sparkle.

Monday means time for a new challenge at Digi Makeover! woo hoooo! This week we have a fun sketch for you to play with. get out your digital images, great designer papers, & ribbons and go to town! You could win images from Paper Makeup Stamps if your project is chosen as the winner! Stop by the blog to see the wonderful samples by the DT! :)

For my card I used the precious image 'Cosette' and a senti from Create with TLC. papers are Bo Bunny Snowfall. her wings are painted with shimmerz while the snow was added with stickles. flower is prima sprayed with copper shimmer spray. snowflakes were cut with a Sizzix die and then covered in stickles. buttons are vintage. faux stitching finishes the card.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

You have arrived at my happy little spot for the Create with TLC Winter Wonderland Blog Hop! if you are feeling chilly, grab a nice warm cup of coffee, tea, or hot cocoa to keep you all toasty inside as you grab your free digi and see what I have made. :) Everyone is welcome here at my stop, so settle in with your slippers and stay for a bit!

Paulette is known for her generosity EVERY day by offering the most wonderful free sentis and vintage images on the web. I make sure to stop by as often as I can, being certain to leave her a big 'thank you' for all she does for us! :) with this blog hop, we have the opportunity to receive 8 images and LOTS of inspiration for those holiday projects! cool beans! if you get lost at any point on the hop, just head back over to Create with TLC for the master list. you'll want to stop there anyway to tell Paulette thank you for putting this amazing hop together! :)

to save this precious image to your compy,just right click with your mouse and choose 'save to ......' from the drop down options available. for some weird reason, blogger doesn't like to open photos in another window on my blog. oh well, these still save just fine this way! :) if you have any problems, just let me know and I can email the image to you.

my card uses Basic Grey Figgy Pudding papers, one of Paulette's sentis, a gorgeous Prima flower and holly leaf, stickles galore, trim from JoAnn's, vintage buttons, and a little ticket I picked up at the band banquet a few weeks ago. tee hee! how is that for re-purposing! in fact, the twine in the buttons is actually from a tea bag. you can see the little staple on one of them.... some faux stitching finishes the card.

now off you hop to the GORGEOUS blog of GEORGIA E. where you will be dazzled!!!! hang on, let me top your cup before you go..... okay, now you are set! :) tell her hello from me when you leave her a comment!

Today begins a new challenge and wonderful new releases over at A Day for Daisies! but before I get to all of that, I do hope that each of you here in the States had a most wonderful Thanksgiving! I didn't even go onto the compy yesterday for one itty bitty moment. We had the most glorious day..... and I am so thankful for so many people, things, gosh, the list is miles long. and know that YOU are on it!!! :)

I used this ADORABLE mermaid in a jar image. oh gosh, she makes me smile when I look at her! :) papers are Basic Grey Sweet Threads. the little extras are from Making Memories. the jar lid was cut with a PTI die & fern leaves, which I thought resembles seaweed, with a MS punch. there is so much sparkle irl on here that just doesn't show in the scan. her tail was painted with 4 shades of ink and then covered with sparkle shimmer spray. her hair was painted similar to the sand and then highlighted with the same sparkle spray. the sand was painted with 3 shades of ink and then stipped with dark brown ink, highlighted with white craft.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

okay, I know I've said I'm swamped with getting ready for Thanksgiving, but oh my goodness, gracious me, you have GOT to go see the entire line of Basic Grey's Kissing Booth! here is the link to the Basic Grey collection. I am in love and can NOT wait for mine to arrive! I, too, won a gift certificate in the Stop and Scrap Countdown to Christmas promo, so I quickly did a pre-order of a 6x6 Kissing Booth paper pad. I am sooooooooooooooo happy I did, but am thinking I am gonna use this baby right up! tee hee!

also, I am still waiting to hear from one more person regarding my gift certificate giveaways. ERIN HOFFMANN has until tonight to email me or I will do one more drawing. I really don't want this wonderful gift certificate to go to waste when Stop and Scrap has been so kind to donate it.

Now for some other coolio news - I have been invited to be part of the Dilly Beans DT! I made mention on my sidebar the other day of how wonderul Megan's zombie digis are! grins! so you can imagine my excitement when she asked me to be a part of her new DT! challenges will officially begin Dec. 1, but keep your eyes open in case something ELSE pops up before then.... hint hint hint! There is a phenom sale going on right now, so check that out while you are waiting .... hint hint hint! and please stop by the blogs of the other DT members to wish them a big congrats! I know it will make their day! :)

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Welcome to a new challenge over at The Stamping Boutique challenge blog! the theme for this go 'round is Thanksgiving. and being the rebel that I am, I am the only one who didn't use the cute Pilgrim images offered by Tracey in the store..... oh well. someone has to be the oddball..... guess that is always gonna be ME! grins!

for my card I used the fun Pumpkin Pie image. maybe it's because we spent last week baking pumpkins to freeze for later use. I am a pumpkin fanatic, as if you didn't know already!, and love to have pumpkin ready to use for waffles, scones, soup, or whatever, WHENever the fancy strikes! :)

senti comes from Create with TLC, papers are My Mind's Eye A Happy Heart, tag die is PTI, flowers are Prima, buttons are vintage. this poor card just about was the end of me, I tell ya. the embossing folder kept giving me fits. the glimmer mist that is on both the senti and masked on the main image did fine on my 'test squirt' but decided to get all globby when I actually started spraying the crucial parts. I'm almost out, so I guess that is the problem, but man, why does it happen when it matters?! ;) hence, the weird blobs on my card. boy, I have never been more happy to finally get one card finished in my life! whew..... but I'll be giving this to Jocelyn's family when they arrive for Thanksgiving. I hope they like it and can overlook my flaws.

well I have baked the cornbread for the dressing so far today, washed almost all of the bed linens as well as several loads of laundry, and made the most important part next to the mashed potatoes in the eyes of my sons - the Ranch Crackers! grins! so the list is slowly dwindling down.... but it is fun, too. Chris Tomlin is playing in the bg LOUD to keep me motivated and focused on what is important. :)

Happy Tuesday! This is going to be quickie quick 'cause I feel as if an avalanche of icky poo housework has come crashing down on me. isn't that just horrible?!?! Mick and Tyler come home from school tomorrow for the Thanksgiving break and then Mick's girlfriend & her family join us for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. y'all know I would rather craft than clean house ANY day! duh! ;)

This card showcases another fun image from the November Club Kit from A Day for Daisies. Papers are Cosmo Cricket Odds and Ends. the banner was punched with the new SU! punch. boy do I love that punch! so fun to use! the prima flower was sprayed with glimmer mist for a bit of shine. the leaf and berry/nut cluster I happened upon while taking the dogs out. I knew they would be perfect for some card creation! I love the way they look with this flower. :) the wooden buttons seemed the perfect accent to this old fashion card.

Now, I'm off to the drudgery of dusting and cleaning potties and other yuckiness as that. on the plus side, I am also treating myself to the beginning of holiday baking once the ick is out of the way. nothing like the smell of freshly baked bread to make a house smell like a home! :)

Monday, November 21, 2011

only one little person claimed their gift certificate prize from the Stop and Scrap prize the other day. I even gave people a little extra time today to get in touch with me, but alas, I didn't hear from any of those drawn.

so......

here are the NEW winners! please email me at jenscull @ yahoo.com if your name is listed. I really want you to experience the fun of Stop and Scrap before these gift certificates expire.

A new challenge starts to day over at the Digi Makeover challenge blog. We are all about colors this week! I do hope you will play along, but also stop by and see the wonderful projects created by the DT to inspire you! :)

- You must use a digital image on your entry(hey, it is a digi challenge after all)- The challenge will be every Monday- A winner will be selected every week by random.org- The winner will get to choose any 3 digi images from PMS as their prize. If the winner used a PMS image on their entry, they'll get 2 bonus images (for a total of 5!)

For my card I used several different images, the adorable Pete the Penguin (and his senti) and the snowflakes from the Color it Winter Tags digi set. This is just another of the wonderful things about digis - you can make them whatever size you want like I did with the snowflakes. Papers are Cosmo Cricket Mitten Weather. I added stickles to the ground and snowflakes. The felt snowflake is SU! that I colored with glimmer mist. Seam tape was sprayed with frost shimmer spray.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

I know it sounds weird, but I really do tell God thank you for my wonderful dogs! they rank right up there with my family, Dave's job, and our house. Are any of you pet owners who really think of them more as family members? if so, then you will appreciate my post today. :)

Jellypark Friends has a challenge going on right now to create papercraft projects that reflect something you are thankful for, say thank you, for give thanks i.e. Thanksgiving. I obviously chose to portray my gratitude for my wonderful labradors, Mocha & Latte. and yes, I named them, much to the dismay of the men in my family. ;) We can't sleep at night without these 2 cuties curling up in bed with us. there's not much better than having a big pup snuggle right up next to ya! who woulda ever thought I would turn out to be a dog lover? not me, that is for sure! but I can't imagine life without my pups!

my card uses the precious 'Girl and Dog' image from Jellypark and papers from My Mind's Eye Happy Go Lucky. senti is from Create with TLC. I added little snow dots with stickles. Pom poms on the hat and shoes were painted with shimmerz. I really love the colors of these fun papers! I know my card is pretty simple for me, but felt that the designs of the paper were busy enough to carry everything. I did finish off the card with a bit of faux stitching.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Just wanted to remind those of you whose names were drawn as winners of the Stop and Scrap gift certificates to contact me by tomorrow. if I haven't heard from you by tomorrow night, I will pick new winners on Monday.

so far only one certificate has been claimed. these gift certificates do have an expiration date to them, so I want to get them to people who can use them in a timely fashion before they no longer work. that would be so sad.

Friday, November 18, 2011

yes, it's my 2nd post for the day, but I want to tell you about a line of special images that Tammy is re-releasing just for the Thanksgiving holiday over at A Day for Daisies. each of these digis is a treasure I am sure you will enjoy!

Also, you still have almost a week left to play along in our flocking challenge. I do hope you will try this neat technique!

For my card, I combined 2 of the images featured this week - Pretty Turkey and Wild Fall Blossom. The flowers were inserted twice, with one of them being flipped. I wanted it to look as if the turkey was out in its native habitat. hopefully that was achieved..... Papers are a combo of Basic Grey collections - Piccadilly, Basic Manilla, and Capella. the flowers on the main image were painted with shimmerz while the little flower on the twigs was sprayed with sparkle shimmer spray. the cardboard was first inked with vanilla craft and then sprayed with walnut gold glimmer mist. buttons are from my vintage stash.

Hello! Jellypark Friends is all about new things and being thankful this week. We have some new challenge winners, a new Guest Designer, new releases, and a new challenge - Give Thanks. phew..... so many fun things going on! oh gosh, I almost forgot! we started a new group over at The Latte Lounge, too. I hope you will join us over there. We already have one adorable free image, and Claire has promised us another just as soon as we reach 100 members. :)

Jenn Zeeb has so kindly agreed to be our newest Guest Designer thru December. I would love for you to pop by her blog, Stamplified, and wish her a big hello! She has some wonderful papercraft projects to inspire us all!

Claire's new releases are all about playing in the fun winter weather! we even have snow on the ground here at home to commemorate the occassion! how grand!!! :)

I chose to use this cutey fella 'Ice Skater Boy' on my card. he comes with the tag you see attached. papers are Bo Bunny Snowfall. I added stickles to the patch of ice he is skating on as well as the little dots on the tag. the card base papers are sprayed with frost shimmer spray. pom pom trim is vintage from my fave little antique store, felt snowflakes are SU! and buttons are vintage as well.

congrats to each of you! and thank you to everyone who stopped by my blog and left comments. I appreciate each one. :) it was wonderful to hear about your fave papers. you can bet I'll be checking into all of them!

will the winners please email me at jenscull @ yahoo.com and I will send your codes to you. thanks again! I need to hear from you by Sunday evening or else I will draw new winners.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Happy happy Wednesday to each of you! I hope you hurry and submit your comments on my post from yesterday to get your chance at a gift certificate from Stop and Scrap. you have until tonight to enter! what fun to read everyone's fave paper collections! :)

Jellypark Friends is currently sponsoring the newest challenge over at Crimbo Crackers, a great new challenge blog that focuses solely on Christmas cards. Many members of the DT made projects to showcase the theme, "Make it Sparkle". I'll be honest, this gal has no clue what a Crimbo Cracker is, but I was thrilled to play along since my teamie, Ruth, has started this new blog all on her lonesome! she is getting a tremendous turn-out, so I do hope you will join all of us!

My card uses the absolutely precious 'Cute Angel' from Jellypark and papers by Jillybean Soup Christmas Eve Chowder. The main image is sprayed with sparkle shimmer spray for lots of shine irl. I tried something I've never done before - I used my Spellbinder dies to create a frame. it was a neat technique and so easy to do! you'll most certainly see more of this from me in the future. I was a bit nervous lining up the dies, but they really make it so easy to do. So the brown cs is actually a frame, not a mat. her halo was painted with shimmerz for more sparkle. I added some candy cane stickles to both the frame and the little prima rose for additional shine. I then added some free-hand doodles at both the top and bottom of the card that mimic the doodles on her dress. a simple card, but I think it turned out cute, and PINK! :)

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Hello, Hello! What a happy Tuesday it is! I can't tell you how thrilled I am to be part of the big 'Countdown to Christmas' promo being held by Stop and Scrap!!! Every day from now into mid December, various blogs will be holding drawings and giveaways of gift certificates to the store! Each blog will also have a special discount code that is good for that day only. You can see the schedule here on the SaS calendar. visit one or visit them all! :)

Now any of you who happen to visit my blog on a frequent basis know of my LOVE for all things Basic Grey. I mean LOVE LOVE LOVE of Basic Grey. I even tweet about it.... and BG tweets about my tweets! how funny is THAT! ;) so Stop and Scrap is one store I go to in order to be sure that my collection of Basic Grey stays up-to-date! I pre-order when I can so I'm sure not to ever miss a new line. also, Stop and Scrap DOES ship internationally! good news to my friends on the other side of the big blue pond! :)

or Pre-order your own Kissing Booth!I am so in love with the pinks (yep, shocker there!) and the wooden buttons. (another stunner, I know!)

I know that your appetite is now fully whetted and you are ready to SHOP! so let me give you your code that entitles you to 10% off EVERYTHING!!!!!. the code is JUSTCOFFEE. isn't that a hoot?! I love it!

now for a chance to win either a $25 gift certificate or one of 3 $10 gift certificates, I want you to head over to Stop and Scrap and look through all of the fun paper lines. come back here and let me know which one is YOUR fave! you know mine, now I want to know yours! it could be something already in stock or one of the fabby new pre-orders.I will only give you until Wed. night at midnight EST to get your comments posted. Winners will be announced on Thursday morning.

Happy Monday to you! Today starts a fun new challenge over at the Digi Makeover Challenge blog. We are being asked to create our own background paper using digital images. I had never really done this much before, so I had a great time trying it out. just remember to use a digital image when you play along. The winner will get to choose any 3 digi images from PMS as their prize. If the winner used a PMS image on their entry, they'll get 2 bonus images (for a total of 5!)

Now on to my card.....

I used images from several different sets to create my project. I did also mix in a little bit of designer paper, too, using Nook & Pantry papers from Basic Grey. I like to print out my digis onto patterned paper when I can since I don't have any colored ink in my printer right now. it helps add a bit more dimension to the bg imo. The rolling pin and mixing bowl come from the set, 'Guilty Pleasures.' The cookie comes from the set, 'So Sweet.' The senti is from the newly released, 'Handmade.' and isn't this little monster adorable? His name is Duncan. I created a little zipper flower embellie using a vintage zipper I picked up at an antique store and an old button. I love making these! it just seemed the perfect little touch with this fun monster. :)

I hope you will try this fun technique and play along with us! please stop by the challenge blog to see the fantastic samples created by the DT.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Well lookie what lovely thing has happened - I now have over 300 most amazing followers on my little ol' blog! thank you so much to each and every one of you!

to celebrate, I am going to offer up some blog candy! not sure what all will be in the goody package yet, so I'll post a piccy later as I get some things together!

leave a comment on this post. we'll let it run for a few weeks so everyone has a chance to get their name in the hat. you have until Sunday, November 13 to leave a comment. I will post the winner on Monday, Nov. 14. you do NOT have to be a follower to have a chance. you also don't have to post any pix on your blog or jump through any hoops. I like to keep things simple since I think it's pretty nice you stopped by here in the first place! :)

thank you again to all of you! I'm sending out GREAT BIG hugs to each and every one of ya! ;)

so far I have some Pumpkin Spice coffee, vintage goodies, a Basic Grey 6x6 paper pack, asst. of ribbons, and a big bucket of Prima flowers for this giveaway. I'm on the lookout for more things to add, so I'll take a piccy once it's complete. :)------> I am going to re-vamp this candy as soon as I finish getting everything together and get photos taken. right now I have 3 separate prizes, but might end up with 4 before it's all over! I'll post Mr. blue froggie linkies for each one so you can enter in the candy that tickles your fancy! ;) so far,there will be baby themed, vintage themed, and music themed. I might also do a Christmas one if I can gather enough things toghether, but I'll have to see. they aren't huge, but I think you'll enjoy what I tuck inside each one! :) will try to have pix posted by Sunday at the latest.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Hello!I wanted to tell y'all real quick about some BIG stuff coming your way in the next few weeks.....

First off - only today and tomorrow remain to enter my big blog candy! well, maybe not so big, but fun anyhow. ;) you can enter one or all. just link your blog to the candy that floats your little boat! that way you don't end up with things that might not interest you. ALL blog candy packages will contain at least one stamp set, a 6x6 paper pad, some vintage trims, and a handfull of other goodies. I have tried to make them things you would enjoy. and it's all new stuff - nothing has ever been used before. if you don't have a blog, just leave a comment letting me know which blog candy package you are interested in.

Also, this weekend, The Stamping Boutique is having a fun blog hop. I was supposed to take part, but since I've been on.... ahem.... bed rest ( shhhhhh.... please don't give me away!) I wasn't able to play. but I don't want you to miss the fun, so head over to The Stamping Boutique Challenge blog to start the hop. :)

Next - On Tuesday, Nov. 15 I will have a BIG contest promo going on courtesy of Stop and Scrap - an online store. You will not want to miss this wonderful opportunity to win BIG! so please stop back by! :)

Lastly - Create with TLC is having another fun blog hop at the end of this month - Nov. 27. you know how much fun those are! Each DT member will be giving away a fabby digi from Paulette, so you will want to be sure to hop along!

Friday, November 11, 2011

Happy Friday!It's a long post and I'm supposed to be in bed on bedrest, so I'm just gonna jump right in before I get caught on the compy ;) .....

all cards posted today are featuring images from A Day for Daisies, & sentis from Create with TLC.The first 2 cards were made for the new challenge at A Day for Daisies, use flocking on your projects. I opted to use Flower Soft on mine.

I wanted this card to be bright and colorful for a child, so I went with K & Co. papers from Kazoo Kids and Poppy Seeds. Flower Soft was dyed and added to the dragon's wings and crown of his head. I also painted sparkle shimmer spray on his wings and crown as well. sunny shimmerz was added to his spots. image is called 'Dragon Ride.'

The next card uses Heather Flower Soft on all of the flowers. papers are Basic Grey Sweet Threads. her sash and shoes are painted with shimmerz. heart medallion is Webster's Pages. image is called 'Dreaming a Wish'.

The last card uses an adorable image from the November Card Kit. I haven't done anything with the cracked glass technique in a while, so I decided to use this fun technique on here. I love the way it works with vintage images. papers are Prima Nursery Tales (if you look carefully you will see Alice in Wonderland images on the papers), trim is Maya Road, crochet flower & buttons are vintage.

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to sign up for the blog candy! Only a few days left! They are all packaged and ready to go - maybe to YOUR house! ;)now I'm sneaking back to bed before anyone finds me up......

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

well I have another post for today, but sadly, it's a sympathy card. I know a lot of people make these ahead of time, and sometimes I do, too. but the really special ones, for people who are close to our family, I make as we need them. that gives me a chance to really concentrate on the project, but also pray the entire time I'm making it. it's so comforting for me to be able to do this and helps me in a small way to get through the grieving process......

A very dear friend of ours passed away last week. She was the mom to 2 daughters who are close friends of both Tyler and Ryan. we've known this family for quite a while. Her passing came fairly quick, and the girls are devastated, obviously. Our family is still shattered by it.

So I turned to A Day for Daisies to find an image and Create with TLC for a beautiful verse. I hope this card brings the family some small degree of comfort.papers are Echo Park For the Record, little yellow flowers were painted with shimmerz, and stamens on red flowers & jar handle were highlighted with shimmerz.

Just a reminder that there are only a few days left of my blog candy...... you can sign up for one or all of them if you would like. but you need to link up in order to be entered! if you don't have a blog, post a message letting me know which candy you would like to enter.

right now your chances are realllllllllllllllllly good of winning something! not many entries! ;)

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Today is a challenge over at The Stamping Boutique that truly touches my heart.... it's called "Home of the Brave" and it's to honor our soldiers who have fought so bravely on our behalf. Veteran's Day is in just a few days here in the USA and Remembrance Day as well in Canada. no matter how you feel about war in general, it would be a shame to not show love and support to the thousands upon thousands of men & women who bravely put their lives on the line each and every day for our freedoms.

My card is just a little way to say 'thank you' for all they do. the star image comes from The Stamping Boutique, senti from Create with TLC, papers from K & Co. Americana. I used some old buttons from a pair of shorts about to be thrown out and sprayed papers with walnut gold glimmer mist. air mail baker's twine comes from Etsy. it's a simple card, but one filled with lots of love and gratitiude! :)

Monday, November 7, 2011

Welcome to the new release blog hop for Paper Makeup Stamps! the Digi Makeover DT has been invited to play along, so you will see a LOT of fun inspiration on this fun hop! :)here is the list should you lose your way......

My project uses several images from the new set, Color it Winter. the DigiMakeover Team was also asked to use our new challenge on our projects - create a shaped item using digis. one participant in the challenge this week is going to win the ENTIRE NEW RELEASE IN DIGIS!!! so please do play along with us!

this cute little snowman is outlined in stickles for a bit of shine. the mitten was sprayed with frost shimmer spray. it has a beautiful, wintery look irl. the little tag was also accented with stickles in random places & the snowflake is just COVERED in it! :) so lots of sparkle on this cute mitten! I added a rusty jingle bell tied with linen thread to the tag. digis are so wonderful for being able to re-size based on the project you are making! love it!!! papers are Fancy Pants Tradition.

since I had so much fun with the glassine bag I showed you yesterday, I decided I wanted to make a few more of these. I also made several more of these tags. they are the perfect size to add to Christmas gifts. I'm trying to get a head start on things I'm going to be needing in the next few weeks.... (can you believe it's coming that fast?! yikes!!) again, the bag is stamped with the music bg stamp from A*Muse. I aged the bag a bit with ink to go along with the look of the tags. I hope you will give these a try!

so head on over to Melissa's blog for some more fabby inspiration! :)and be sure to sign up for my blog candy while you are here!

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Coffee of the Day - Group Therapy (sent to me by Audrey - it's coffee for girlfriends! vanilla, hazelnut, chestnut, & cinnamon. oh gosh, it is tasty! thanks, Audrey!!!)

I'll give you just a moment to go get a topper on your coffee or tea, 'cause this post is gonna be loaded with lots of pix and stuff...... you might want to grab a cookie, too, to give you some energy! tee hee!

Last night over at The Crafter's Cafe, there was a wonderfully fun Digi Day Party. there were games, contests, freebie digi images, and challenges that started. and the chatting, oh my goodness, we talked about EVERYTHING! even zombies! giggles! yep, I started that one.... and it's been discovered you either like 'em or ya don't! all of you know which side of the line I fall on that one. bring 'em on, I say! I even revealed that I have a big zombie poster that hangs on the wall beside my craft table. my friend Paulette, from Create with TLC, has even started up her own group over there, so pop by if you get the chance. She is giving away freebies for every 25 people who join her group.

Anyhow, I have some projects to share for the challenges going on. All images are from The Stamping Boutique and sentis come from Paulette and TLC.

the first challenge was for sparkle and bling. So out came this precious new Smoochie image from Tracey. you are going to see a LOT of these images from me..... I am so in love with them! She is called, 'Blowing Kisses.' paper is My Mind's Eye, trim is from one of my fave Etsy stores, and there is a TON of shimmerz paint and glimmer mist on here. I turned the senti from Create with TLC into a tag, courtesy of a die from PTI.

the next challenge is to create a gift package of some kind. I am an avid lurker of Mish W.'s blog and am always amazed at the neat things she does with tags and bags. I decided to give one a try myself. you'll see a bunch of these between now and Christmas, as they are both fun and easy to do! I stamped the music bg from A*Muse on the glassine bag, added the shipping tag and die cut tree, and this pretty holly sprig from Tracey. the tree was sprayed with sparkle shimmer spray. lace trim is vintage. little buttons highlight the tree as ornaments. this is the perfect size to fill with a few homemade cookies, candy, or as David wants me to learn to make soap, a nice thick slice of yummy homemade soap! :)

the last challenge is to create a project that features a treat - either an image or is actually a treat itself. I had to go with these precious little gingerbread men! again, I took a fun senti from TLC and turned it into tags with the PTI die. it's really easy to do! the gingerbread men were printed onto kraft paper, frosting was painted with white craft ink, and then the edges were outlined with stickles. btw - did you know the bottom of a bottle of stickles could blow out and explode all over the place?! ask me how I know........ and why there are random spots of glitter on these little fellas..... and why I now need to buy a new bottle of stickles! ;) flowers are Prima, papers are Fancy Pants Tradition.

my final project is a 'just because I love the Smoochies' card. This is 'Fashionista Smoochie' and the skyline image. senti is TLC again. papers are Basic Grey Olivia and Basic Manilla. the skyline was masked, sprayed with sparkle shimmer spray, and then the edges sponged. I wanted to highlight the city just a bit. grass is cut with a MFT die. little flowers are Prima. sun was made with punches and a Starbucks coffee sleeve. I always save those for fun projects!

Friday, November 4, 2011

see, I told you today was going to be like Christmas! ;)I have yet another card project to share with all of you.......

Today marks both new releases AND the November Club Kit over at A Day for Daisies. every image is a bit of Heaven on Earth..... truly truly.

I used the precious 'Small Angel' image on my card. (hint hint..... she is the $2 deal for this week only over at Tammy's Etsy store. race to get her for your very own!!!) papers are Echo Park Season's Greetings. her wings and halo are painted with shimmerz. I added some highlights of glitter glass to the edges of the main image. the seam tape was sprayed with walnut gold glimmer mist, as was the music sheet, which actually came from a vintage hymnal I keep on the shelf above my craft desk. buttons are vintage as well.

As I was putting the card together and adding sparkly shiny bits here and there, she seemed to be telling me to remember how much God speaks to all of us through nature. the Bible references many times God's love for the flowers and birds, and how much greater is His love for us! (glory glory!) so I added some rustic touches - the pine cone pick and burlap. I love mixing these 2 seemingly different looks into one card. so oftentimes a reminder to each of us that in the midst of our everyday lives, we are surrounded by so much natural beauty but often fail to stop and see.

So for today, take a moment to listen to the song of a bird..... it just might be an angel singing a song just for YOU! :)

It's time for Christmas today! are you ready? ;) yeah, I'm not either, but it's fun to pretend for just a moment..... I'm really looking forward to the holidays this year. I plan to do LOTS of baking. what about you? any big plans to get ready?

also, before I get started, just a little reminder about my blog candy. you can enter in one, two, or all four blog candy prize packs. they aren't ginormous, but I think you'll enjoy the treats I'm gathering for you. I can't get full pix until everything arrives in the mail, but that adds to the fun, don't ya think?!

okay, on to the Jingle Bell fun! We have a new challenge over at Jellypark Friends Friday Challenges today - use non-traditional Christmas colors on your holiday papercraft project. you may still use red and green, just don't make them your focal colors. On top of this, I was asked to be a guest designer over at Raise the Bar challenges today. the challenge is to use NO embellies. have they ever BEEN to my blog?!?!?! do they know how very hard that is for me? oy! this was the most challenging card I have made in a lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng time. but I did give it a go by combining these 2 challenges with 1 of Claire's cutey new images from the Jellypark store.

my card uses the fun new image, 'Boy in a Reindeer costume'. isn't he precious? the papers are Crate Paper Snow Day and also A*Muse. all I added was a bit of faux stitching with my white gel pen. I wasn't sure if even die cuts were allowed, so I didn't...... stop by the Raise the Bar challenge blog to see some amazing projects by the DT. I'm sure they blew me out of the water with their creations! ;)

I did make an additional card using another of Claire's new releases and the same paper pack. this image is appropriately called, 'Cute Little Angel'. sorry I can't tell you how the mfg. is of this beautiful flower, as it came in a blog candy prize pack I received, but it is stunning irl. I added shimmerz paint to the angel's wings and halo. the A*Muse bg paper was sprayed with walnut gold glimmer mist. buttons and lace trim are vintage.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Just a quickie post to let y'all know that if you have left a comment on my 300 followers blog candy post, I am going to ask you to stop by again.... sorry for the trouble, but I think you might find it worth the bother! ;)

I have 3 different blog candy prizes up for grabs right now and might just add another before the weekend is over..... this way you can sign up for the one that strikes your fancy or all 3 if you so desire! :) sure wouldn't want to send you something you don't want.

all prize packages will contain some vintage goodies. a paper pad, & a stamp set or 2, but I haven't decided which one is getting the pumpkin spice coffee! tee hee! maybe the baby themed one.... ha! or I may end up getting coffee for each one, who knows.....

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Happy Wednesday to ya! the sun is shining so lovely in the sky here and it is truly a beautiful day. I hope you find something in your day to bring you joy!

I want to share with you my last card using images from the A Day for Daisies October Club Kit. the term for this fun DT has ended and I had such a wonderful time with the ladies at ADFD. everyone was so kind and supportive of each other. that makes such a difference in a DT, let me tell ya! ;) and Tammy has such a beauty in her artwork, it truly touches my heart.

I used the image called, 'Tree of Mine'. papers are K & Co. Flora and Fauna. the beautiful medallion is Webster's Pages, buttons are vintage, seam tape and flower are sprayed with frost spray for some sparkle and shine, and little flowers on main image are painted with shimmerz.

yesterday David and I went to visit Tyler down in Akron and help him out with some stuff for his car. we stopped by my fave little antique store down there, and I picked up some goodies for my blog candy giveaway. I think you are going to like what I chose for some lucky winner or 2! and yes, there will be coffee in the prize package! :)

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FTC Disclosure

FTC Declaration -

In the spirit of full disclosure, I declare that I am a hobby/freelance designer. In the past I have received products that I promoted and endorsed as a hobby/freelance designer for free or at a discount from the companies listed on my Design Team blog page (or 'guest DT'). Any product that I mention is a product I have used in my designs and recommend with complete honesty. As a hobby/freelance designer, I have the freedom to promote/endorse products that I personally use and love. I have not, nor will I, knowingly endorse a product that I feel is of substandard quality. I, however, would like to mention that any products or stores that I endorse or promote with praise are done so honestly at the time of publication. I will not knowingly make false statements to my readers. If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you.